Brooklyn, NY (January 23, 2014) – On a blistery cold, snowy morning, for the first time in her young fencing career, Jaclyn Khrol, age 10, set out to fence in three age groups, over three days at the aptly-named Sword in the Snow Super Youth Circuit in New Hampshire. The weekend road trip from Brooklyn paid off when Jaclyn took home 3 medals – 1 gold in youth 10, and 2 bronze in youth 12 and youth 14. She is now nationally ranked 4th in the US among epee fencers ages 12 and under. This was quite an accomplishment for Jaclyn, who had to compete against older, bigger, and more experienced opponents. Her younger sister, Caralina, age 7, also took home a bronze medal in youth 10.
As the saying goes, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” The girls’ mother, Galyna Khrol, is an accomplished fencer who began fencing in her native Ukraine at the age of 8. As a child, she spent hours traveling to practice before and after school. Her dedication paid off when Galyna began attending school in Kharkov, where she started learning from Irina Odokienko, who now coaches the Ukrainian team, and Irina’s husband, the late epee coach, Leonid Averbach. “My coaches were very important to me” Galyna recalls. “Our coaches taught us everything, more than just the sport, they taught us how to be good people; they were like family to me.” Originally a foil fencer, Galyna switched to fence epee and went on to compete successfully for years both nationally and internationally.
Galyna’s passion for fencing was not lost on her two daughters. Before fencing, Jaclyn was a gymnast, competing regionally for three years. All that changed two years ago when Jaclyn began showing an interest in fencing. According to her mother, Jaclyn really took to fencing and hasn’t looked back. Like her mother, Jaclyn is dedicated to training at New York Fencing Academy, where she practices at least 3 times a week, conditioning and taking private lessons from coach Misha Mokretsov. Caralina jumped straight into fencing at age 7 and is right on her sister’s heels.
As a family, the Khrols enjoy traveling to fencing tournaments together. At the National Championships last summer in Columbus, Ohio, Galyna placed 22nd out of 143 fencers in the Women’s Division 2 event. Galyna and her clubmates also fenced in the Women’s team event which was bittersweet, “a great event with strong bouts,” where her team came within just one touch of making top 4. Jaclyn also placed well at Nationals earning 6th place in the youth 10 competition.
The future holds promise for this young fencing family and the fencing club they attend. New York Fencing Academy is located in Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY and is quickly becoming a center for excellence in epee, with one of the strongest competitive epee youth and cadet programs in the tri-state area. In just three years, Head Coach, Misha Mokretsov has produced several nationally-ranked fencers earning Champion and Finalist titles at International and National competitions, including a fencer on the French Cadet Team.
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Contact: Misha Mokretsov
Company: New York Fencing Academy
Address: 2896 W 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224
Club Phone: (718) 996-0426
Cell Phone: (347) 741-1343
Email: info.nyfa@gmail.com
Website: http://www.fencenyfa.com
NEW YORK FENCING ACADEMY 